Lesbians, aliens and Allison Janney

A few new television shows that sound interesting are on the horizon. OneÃ¢â‚¬”which I hereby nominate for Best Named New ShowÃ¢â‚¬”is Fugly, written by the same freaky dude responsible for My Name is Earl. She show is about “three homely siblings in North Carolina — identical twin sisters and a brother — who pool their inheritance to buy one of the sisters an extreme makeover. The three then move to Hollywood with dreams of profiting off her newfound good looks.” It sounds like The Swan meets The Beverly Hillbillies, and then interbreeds with ThePatty Duke Show. Sure, I’ll bite!

Next, lesbian favoriteÃ¢â‚¬”or maybe she’s just a favorite with all people of good tasteÃ¢â‚¬”Allison Janney is set to star in her own CBS half-hour sitcom. The show is about, “a successful woman who’s re-examining the relationships in her life.” A show revolving around a woman? A woman played by Allison Janney? It almost sounds to good to be true. And maybe it isÃ¢â‚¬”the show is being developed by the great minds that brought us Two and a Half Men, the appeal of which I’ve really never understood.

Janney–who was once told by a casting agent that the only roles she could play were lesbians and aliens–always plays smart, complicated and funny women, so I’ll definitely give this show a whirl. I know that a lot of people fell in love with her on The West Wing, but to me she’ll always be Loretta from the murderous cheerleader movieDrop Dead Gorgeous.